A Salsero was sitting quietly reading his paper one morning, peacefully enjoying himself, thinking about his wonderful evening of dancing the night before, when his wife sneaks up behind him and whacks him on the back of his head with a huge frying pan.
He asks, "What was that for?"
She replies, "What was that piece of paper in your pants pocket with the name Sandra written on it?"
He says, "Oh honey, remember two weeks ago when I went to the horse races? Sandra was the name of one of the horses I bet on."
She is appeased, and apologizes, then goes about her business.
Three days later he is once again sitting in his chair reading and she bongs him again with the frying pan.
"Why did you hit me again?!?" he shouts
She answered, "Your horse called."
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Quotes from Famous Dancers...
"Never get a big head. I love to hear the great complements that people give me, but I have to remember to stay humble. Treat everyone as a person.We’re all human. If someone’s not talented in dancing, they may be talented in another area"
Q. If you dance Salsa, you should know the answer to this question. The structure of salsa is based on 8 beats (an 8-count). There are some pauses in the 8-beat structure. On what beats do these pauses take place? (In this question, we are not taking into consideration the taps that are characteristic of the Cuban/Miami style of salsa casino.)
A. The 4th and the 8th beats.
S Sabor = Taste
A Amistad = Friendship
L Latino = Contact
S Suave = Light
A Artistico = Artistic
Dancing On1 to a 3-2 Clave!
Dancing Mambo On2 to a 3-2 Clave!
Breakdown of the Clave for Salseros.
Article of The Month
Salsero's Corner
Over the past few months I
have noticed that salsa brings unity to salseros from around the globe, however our unity is starting to fall short of the dance floor. I have talked to numerous salseras who invest tons of money to support the most prestigious salsa events around the world with one thing in mind. Dancing with different Leaders/Salseros.
Guys are starting to give salsa a very bad rap. Concentrate on being unbiased when you put on your dance shoes. Dance with as many ladies as possible. Don't judge them by size, weight, race or appearance, Give them there Damn Fix!
Salserodalante
Men's Guide to Leading in Salsa Dancing
I have compiled the following list of pointers for leads (men or women). They aren't cardinal rules, but not a bad idea to follow them if you don't come to salsa with your own set ideas (and even if you do, for that matter!):
1. Remember that rejection is not a personal attack (see The Art of Getting Rejected), and that it is not about you. Be bold, act as if this is the last night you'll ever get to dance. And hey, in Eugene, you never know when the club is going to close down, so it very well might be (slight exaggeration, I know). So ask that person you've been eyeing out on the dance floor.
2. Salsa dancing is about fun. I know it often feels like we have to prove our worth out there by demonstrating the number and complexity of the moves we know, but if we get so hung up that that we forget to have a good time, what's the point? Flirt with your partner in a non-creepy way. If you ain't smiling and/or you ain't feeling the music, there is likely a problem.
3. When the dance floor is crowded use small steps and be aware of the dancers around you. This means keeping in mind that big moves aren't appropriate and keeping your follow safe from smashing into other couples. Remember that women often wear shoes with exposed heels and toes, so the lead should take responsibility for making sure s/he doesn't move the follow into a spot where she'll get stepped on.
4. When considering whether or not to do physically strenuous moves such as dips, be aware of the physical capabilities/limitations of the follow and the comfort level between you two. Some people have had accidents that limit their ability to do these moves and/or they may just not want to do them, so don't go flinging the follow between your legs unless you can tell it's OK (and then only with caution). I know more than one follow who has been injured by leads simply because they decided it was time to do "neat move X" and did it without warning and/or badly.
5. As an addendum to #4, don't rip the follow's arms out of their sockets.
6. Lead at the level your follow can handle. If you're Mr. Fancy Moves, that's great, but don't embarrass your follow by repeatedly trying to lead moves s/he hasn't gotten 2 or 3 times in a row. If you want to teach someone a new move it's good protocol to wait until the dance is done, then very humbly ask if s/he would like you to show him/her the move(s) you were trying to do. Keep the ego in check, in other words.
7. This isn't a big problem in Eugene, but if your partner doesn't know a lot of salsa solo steps ("shines"), then don't leave them hanging for 5 minutes while you show the world your fancy pancy steps. A few cool tippy-toe moves is adequate, then come back to your partner who is depending on you to lead.
by Josh Remis
Tired of guys not asking you to dance? Get Over it. When I want to dance, I ask someone and you should do the same. I'm never paying a cover charge to get in a club to sit in my chair all night. This is not a date it's your hobby, treat every salsa song like it's your last! Salserodalante
Salsera of the Month
This months salsera of the Month is Debbie Loyd who I had the opportunity to train for a month and earn her a seat in the Utah Salsa Congress presented by my great friend David Nieto. In only one month she was transformed into a salsera, having never danced salsa before in her life. Eating, sleeping and breathing salsa truly has its rewards.
Tips For the Beginners
Mastering Leading and following consists of talking with your hands.
Leading consists of letting the follower know what you want them to do and where you want them to go using your hands, body movement, gestures and sometimes your feet. Your lead and gestures should paint a picture for the follower. As your gestures change from salsera to salsera so shoud your painting. Whether your lead is in footwork or complex patterns, no matter how dramatic the picture is that you are painting it should never leave past your finger tipsand pass through the follower. This is very important because when your force leaves your finger tips, salseras get injured!
Mastering your lead consists of knowing how much pressure it takes to give the follower her salsa fix with out aggressiveness or injury.
Following is being able to read the leaders gestures and getting your self where he wants you to go in a timely manner. Avoid thinking to much and try to create that perfect connection with the salsero until the song is over. Remember to keep your hands where the leader puts them and avoid assuming that you know what he wants you to do. When in doubt substitute panic with sexy body movement.
Mastering following is simple for ladies if you have mastered your basics and you attack each move like it your last dance every time you are on the floor. Remember if the leader has to physically put you where you need to be, your follow is definitely too HEAVY!
The best followers make the dance look sexy and easy!
